Font Size:
There were still matters to attend to at the company, so Ji Shou and Xu Shu left together.
Ji Huailuo was lectured by Ji Shou, and then compared to Zhou Cong, that exemplary child of another family. He was getting angrier by the minute.
“Xu Zhiqiao, move closer to me.”
Xu Zhiqiao moved to his side.
Ji Huailuo lifted his chin, his eyebrows and eyes full of pride as he glanced at the man standing alone opposite them. “You lost.”
Xu Zhiqiao: “……”
It was true.
Perhaps Ji Shou should hurry up and have a second child.
Zhou Cong kept his hands in his pockets, his gaze lowered, and spoke slowly: “Mm.”
The opponent admitted defeat too readily, and Ji Huailuo was not satisfied, even more furious now. “If I add Hua Qingyang and Zhen Chuang, you wouldn’t admit defeat, but just adding Xu Zhiqiao makes you give up?”
“Big Brother, you can’t compare by size,” Xu Zhiqiao said earnestly, “What if I’m a counterweight…”
Though small, I might be worth a thousand gold.
Ji Huailuo was choked.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Zhou Cong’s mouth, and he naturally extended his hand: “Xu Counterweight, Big Brother will take you to the milk tea shop.”
“……” Ji Huailuo froze for a moment, “How do you know she’s going to the milk tea shop this afternoon?”
Zhou Cong paused briefly, then calmly responded: “She said it in the car.”
“Did she say it?” Ji Huailuo doubted himself. “I don’t remember.”
Zhou Cong was certain: “She did.”
Ji Huailuo was even more uncertain now.
Xu Zhiqiao: “……”
She didn’t say anything.
But now that it had been exposed, would Ji Huailuo be angry enough to explode?
Zhou Cong’s hand remained suspended in the air. His hands were extraordinarily beautiful—thin and long, the finger bones clear and distinct. When he gripped something, the tendons in his hand swelled, exuding a dominant aura and the mature charm of a man.
“I’ll leave later,” Xu Zhiqiao said, not wanting to ride with him. “I’ll take the bus.”
Zhou Cong slowly withdrew his hand, stuffing it into his pocket, and replied indifferently: “Isn’t work starting at 2:30? There are still 20 minutes left. If you take the bus, do you want to be late?”
“……”
Xu Zhiqiao was stunned.
How does he know this so clearly?
Ji Huailuo rubbed the back of his neck. “Go ahead, my car is still at the hospital. Should’ve just driven my car.”
Then Ji Huailuo added: “Next week, let Zhou Cong take you to get a haircut.”
“……” Xu Zhiqiao’s pupils contracted. “Why?”
“Why else,” Ji Huailuo said impatiently. “I’m worried someone might kidnap you and sell you!”
“……”
Sometimes, Xu Zhiqiao really wished she could be like Ji Shou and just give Ji Huailuo a good beating with a belt.
—
Xu Zhiqiao was forced to share the same space as Zhou Cong.
Fortunately, this time Zhou Cong didn’t bring up any strange requests. He obediently drove her to the milk tea shop.
Since he helped her once today, Xu Zhiqiao felt she couldn’t stay silent. She forced herself to speak up: “Big Brother, is your health better now?”
“Pretty good,” Zhou Cong replied casually, “Just missing your medical fees.”
“……”
Xu Zhiqiao slightly regretted asking.
Sometimes, she was just too ethical.
It wasn’t a big deal, yet she insisted on saying something.
“Is it not enough?” she asked.
Zhou Cong: “It’s more than enough—15,120 yuan.”
That was exactly the total amount she had given him.
“……”
Xu Zhiqiao decided to keep quiet.
Zhou Cong glanced at her from the corner of his eye: “Where did the 5,000 yuan come from?”
Xu Zhiqiao hesitated for a moment: “I took half of what my big brother gave me.”
When she had saved up a bit more, she planned to return it, just in case one day Ji Huailuo started acting unreasonable and accused her of spending the Ji family’s money.
“So,” Zhou Cong said, “It’s okay to use your big brother’s money, but not mine?”
“……” Xu Zhiqiao paused for a moment before responding seriously. “Zhou Cong, Ji Huailuo is my stepbrother. I won’t use his money unless absolutely necessary. You’re his friend, so there’s a big distance between us. Even if it’s just one cent, I can’t use your money.”
Zhou Cong pulled over to the side of the road, his cold eyes locking onto her.
Xu Zhiqiao gathered her courage and continued: “The money I can use comes from my mother or from what I’ve earned myself.”
“What about your boyfriend’s?” Zhou Cong asked. “Your husband’s?”
“……”
Zhou Cong: “If you agree to me, you can rightfully spend my money, right?”
Xu Zhiqiao’s face turned red again. “I won’t agree to you!”
She grabbed the door handle, but the car doors were locked.
“Zhou, Cong!!” Xu Zhiqiao exploded. “If you dare to play any more tricks, I’ll fight you!!”
“……” Zhou Cong raised an eyebrow, amused. “How are you going to fight? Bite me?”
Xu Zhiqiao: “I can curse you out in the nastiest way! Don’t believe me? Ask Ji Huailuo!!”
Zhou Cong became even more interested. “Then curse me.”
Xu Zhiqiao’s delicate neck flushed red, and after a while, she muttered, “Underhanded man!”
“……”
What’s so dirty about that?
“Hey, Xu Zhiqiao,” Zhou Cong stopped his teasing and became serious. “I guarantee I’ll treat you well. When I say one, I won’t say two. Look at my appearance, I’m not bad, right?”
Upon hearing a certain sentence, Xu Zhiqiao interrupted him: “Fine.”
“……”
Fine?
Zhou Cong’s expression turned serious, as if he couldn’t believe it. “You agreed?”
Xu Zhiqiao nodded.
“……” Zhou Cong wasn’t a fool. A person’s change couldn’t be so sudden. “Then?”
Xu Zhiqiao: “I say one, you don’t say two?”
“……”
Xu Zhiqiao: “Then my current request is for you not to appear again.”
“……”
“You see,” Xu Zhiqiao said knowingly, “You can’t do it, can you?”
Zhou Cong laughed, clearly amused.
In his life, he had only ever schemed against others; no one had ever schemed against him.
Yet, how many times had he been outwitted by this girl?
“Open the door,” Xu Zhiqiao said angrily, “I’m getting out of the car.”
Zhou Cong didn’t move, his gaze fixed on her as if she were his prey.
After a long while, he lowered his lashes and sneered, “I truly am worthless.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the car door unlocked with a click.
Xu Zhiqiao didn’t hesitate for a second. She opened the door and got out.
The wind from the door slammed into her, carrying the heat of late summer. It mixed with the sweet fragrance unique to the girl and seeped into her heart, suffocatingly close.
After the initial self-mockery, there was a dull pain.
The feeling was unfamiliar yet growing clearer every day. Zhou Cong frowned uncomfortably.
What began as simple interest when he first met Xu Zhiqiao had gradually turned into heartache, and today, it was a feeling of palpitation.
Something was starting to spiral out of control, slipping beyond his grasp.
It was the alertness of a hunter sensing danger.
An accumulation of past experiences was now sending him a warning.
Zhou Cong had a vague premonition—
Either he would forcibly keep her by his side.
Or, he would give up now.
Otherwise, he would fall into an abyss he never imagined and would never be able to climb out.
He didn’t know how much time passed, long enough for Xu Zhiqiao to have disappeared without a trace.
In the confined car, Zhou Cong forcibly suppressed the out-of-control emotion. He dialed a number and said coldly: “Tell Grandpa, I agreed to the blind date the day after tomorrow.”